12 Easy Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make Without Destroying Your House

It's the most wonderful time of the year — Christmas crafting time. Even though I've got just as many Pinterest fails as successes under my belt, I'm still always willing to take a crack at a cute D.I.Y. project. That goes double now that I've got kids to celebrate the season with. My almost 3-year-old is just now starting to be able to follow directions, and loves to do activities together. That's why I'm super pumped about all the easy Christmas ornaments that kids can make (with just a little help from an adult) to be found on Pinterest.

For the last few years my family has done a homemade ornament swap, so I've spent every December cutting, crocheting, hot gluing, and painting ornaments. This year, it will be fun to take a break from complicated creations and focus on decorations that little hands can make. My mom still has the many of the ornaments my siblings and I made growing up, and though they're a little worse for the wear, it's so sweet to see them all these years later. As fun as the ornaments on this list will be to make now, imagine how much you'll cherish them when your kids are grown up.

Here are 12 super cute ornaments to hang on your tree this year — and treasure for years to come.

2Santa Hands

Those little hands won't stay little forever, so I love the idea of capturing them in a Christmas keepsake. The instructions for this handprint Santa ornament from Messy Little Monster include the recipe for salt dough.

3Filled With Fun

You can customize this clear ornament idea from Fun Learning for Kids any way you'd like. Stuffing little bits of decoration inside is also a great way to practice fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.

4Yarn Ornament

Ornaments that can't fall off your tree (or be pulled off by curious little hands) and smash are a must. This yarn ornament from Taunie Everett fits the bill, and you can totally customize the design and the colors.

7Bauble Bird

8Peppermint Ornament

I love this peppermint candy ornament from One Little Project, especially since the instructions walk you through the trial and error of getting it just right. If your first attempt is still a Pinterest fail, you can always eat the evidence.

9Glitter Dough Ornaments

I can't guarantee your house won't look like a glitter bomb went off after making these cute salt dough glitter ornaments from The Best Ideas for Kids, but I am pretty sure the results will be adorable.